Watch-protector.



No. 782,521. "PATENT-J1) FEB. 14, 1905.

E. v. PHILLIPPS.

WATCH PROTECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED 8EPT.17,-19 04.

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U ITED STATES Patented. February 14, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN V. PHILLIPPS, OF NEW YORK, Y., ASSIGNOR TO EDWARD F.

PHILLIPPS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

WATCH-PROTECTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 782,521, dated February14, 1905.

Application filed September 17, 1904. Serial No. 224,911.

To all? whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN V. PHILLIPPs, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of New York city, borough of Brooklyn, Kings county,State of NewYork, have invented Improvements in Watch-Protectors, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention is for a device for protecting watches from theft, and hasfor its object to provide such a device with positive locking meansadapted to be easily operated by a person wearing the watch, butinaccessible to a person attempting to take the watch without thewearers knowledge. As my improved device is to be secured to a garment,any grasp of the watch or chain would cause such a pull upon the garmentas to notify the person using the device that a thief was at hand.

My watch-protectoris adapted to be so attached to the garment of thewearer that a portion of the device, is on one side of the goods of thegarment and another portion passes through an opening in the goods tothe other side. The portion on the outer side of the goods forms thewatch-holder, and while the device may be applied to various garments byWay of example Ihave illustrated in Figure 1 the device as applied to avest, the watchholder portion being passed from the inner side of thevest through the material of the rear portion of the Watch-pocket, sothat the holder is within the Watch-pocket and the looking mechanism onthe inner side of the vest.

1n the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a portionof a vest, showing a piece of the front part of the watchpocket tornaway to illustrate that part of the protector that is within thewatch-pocket. Fig. 2 is a front view of the complete device apart fromthe garment. longitudinal section of the device looking toward Fig. 2from the right, butdrawn to a larger scale for clear showing. Figs. 2and 3 illustrate the parts in the normal locked position. Fig. 4 is aview similar to Fig. 3, showing the parts in the unlocked'position. Fig.5 is a plan view of the device with the parts as shown in Fig. 3, aportion of this view, Fig. 5, being broken away to illustrate a de- Fig.3 is a central tail. Fig. 6 is a plan View of the device with the partsas shown in Fig. 4:. Figs. 7 8, and 9 are perspective views of threeseparate parts of the device.

I do not limit my invention to the specific construction of the deviceshown and specifically described herein, as various modifications andchanges may be made in material, form, and arrangement without departingfrom the main ideas set forth in the claims hereto appended.

The device specifically illustrated in the drawings comprises a plate A,which may be of any desirable material, but preferably of metal, andprovided with means for attaching it to a garment,-such as holes a, bywhich it may be sewed to the garment. This plate A has two forwardprojections a a and a rearward projection (0 Between the forward projections a a is an opening a and the parts a a may readily be struck outfrom plate A, formed from the material that would be cut away for theopening. The part a may be naled in the projections 60 a, whereby thesewings B maybe brought together, as shown.

in Figs. 4 and 6, to readily slip the ring of a watch over them, and thewings can be spread out, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 5, to retain thewatch. These pivoted wings B B forming the watch-holder are the only.portions of the device projecting entirely through the good s of thegarment to the front portion thereof. It will -be evident, therefore,that this part of the device may be made ornamental or of fine metal andbe worn in places not necessarilyv within a pocket or other coveredplace. Preferably these wings B B are made to assume the Watch-retainingposition shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 5 automatically. As herein shown,

this is accomplished as follows: The wings B B are provided withportions [2 Fig. 9, bent at right angles to the wings proper, and smallrods C C connect thewings B B to a leaf D, pivoted in the lugs at a ofthe part a of plate A.

The rods C C are conveniently formed of stiff wire bent at the endsthrough openings in lugs b on the wings B and through openings in aforward projection (Z on the leaf D. This permits freedom of motion atthe joints between the rods C C and wings B B and leaf D, while makingthe motion of the wings B B dependent upon the position of the leaf D.

A sliding piece E (shown separately in Fig. 8) is placed over a portionof the plate A, as shown clearly in Figs. 2, 3, and 4:, and is normallymaintained in the relative position shown in Fig. 3 by the retractilespring F, secured at one end to the part a and at the other end to theplate a of the sliding piece. In this position of the parts the wall 6'of the box-like portion of the sliding piece E has pushed the leaf Dinto an upright position against the action of the spring G. This forcesthe rods C forward, which turns the wings B B into the normal positionshown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 5, and it will readily be seen that thewings cannot be moved from this watch-retaining position so long as theleaf D is held upright by the sliding piece E. The sliding piece E isprovided with a downwardly-projecting portion-e preferably bent at thelower end a to form a convenient operating part to draw the slidingpiece downward. Vhen this sliding piece is pulled downward against theaction of the spring F, the leaf D is released from the'action of thewall 6 and the compressionspring G is allowed to act between the plate Aand the leaf D to force the leaf backward, and in consequence throughthe rods C C turn the wings B B on their pivots in the position shown inFigs. 4 and- 6, when the watch may be readily slipped onto thewing-holder or removed therefrom. The retractile spring F is madesufficiently stronger than the compression-spring G to positively returnthe parts to the position shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 5 when the slidingpiece is released.

If the device is applied to a vest, it will be understood that byputting the fingers up under the lower edge of the vest theoperatinghandle a can easily be reached. However, as a thief mightpossibly accomplish this and grab the watch at the same time I provide alock for the sliding piece. This lock consists of a bolt or rod H,having a bend h for operation at one end and the other end passingthrough a hole in the sliding piece E into the box-like upper portionand into the hole a in lug a Figs. 5, 6, and 7. Preferably the rod isinclosed in a casing e in one with or soldered to the sliding piece E. Acompressionspring K normally forces the rod H into the hole a to lockthe device; but when the rod is pulled out, as shown in Fig. 6, then thesliding piece is free to be pulled downward. To prevent the slidingpiece E being pulled too far upward by the spring F, a protrudingportion a may be made in the part 6 that will come against the loweredge of the plate A, Fig. 3, and stop the upward motion of the slidingpiece when the locking bolt or rod H comes into line with the hole a.

hen it is desired to take the watch from the holder, the person insertsthe thumb through the front opening of the vest and pulls on the rod Hto unlock the sliding piece, while the fingers of the same hand maygrasp the watch. At the same time the other hand is used to pull downthe slide a and release the wings B B, when the watch can readily beslipped off the wing-holder. A pickpocket attempting to loosen a watchfrom this holder would have to stand about directly in front of thewearer of the watch, use both hands and in two directions underneath thewearers vest. This would practically render it impossible for a thief torelease the holder without the knowledge of the wearer.

1 claim as my invention' 1. A watch-protector to be secured to agarment, said protector comprising a watchholder, a device normallypreventing release of said holder, and a lock for said device.

2. A watch-protector, comprising a watchholder, Ineansforautoi'naticallylocking the holder to retain the watch, and two operatingparts for releasing the holder, said parts being inaccessible foroperation by one hand.

3. A watch-protector to be secured to a garment, said protectorcomprising a watchholder, a device normally preventing release of saidholder, and a lock for said device, said device and said lock beinginaccessible for operation by one hand.

4. A watch-protector, comprising a watchholder, a spring-actuated devicefor automatically placing the holder in the watch-retaining position,and a lock for said device.

5. A watch-protector, comprising a watchholder, a spring-actuated devicefor automatically placing the holder in the watch-retaining position,and a spring-actuated bolt adapted to automatically lock the said devicewhen it is in the watch-retaining position.

6. A watch-protector, comprising a holder consisting of pivoted wingsadapted to be drawn together for moving the watch on or off the holder,means for automatically forcing the wings apart and locking them in thewatch-retaining position.

In testimony whereof I have sign ed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWIN V. PHILLIPPS.

Witnesses:

DOMINIOK B. BUTTLING, JOHN RAINEY.

